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NBA FINALS: MAGIC v LAKERSJune 7, 2009Stan Van GundyLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Game Two Q. I don't know how often you think back to your days in Miami, but after you left there, did you ever question your ability to coach or connect with NBA players? STAN VAN GUNDY: No. Q. What does it mean to you to be here on this stage after some of that went down? STAN VAN GUNDY: I mean, it means if we can turn this around from what we did the other night, we have a chance to play for a championship. It's pretty simple. Q. Your style, there's not many coaches who are as honest as you are, pointing the finger at yourself. Do you have credibility with the players to do that or do you get the credibility because you do it? STAN VAN GUNDY: I don't know. I don't think about that. The only thing that I think of in that regard is I think that for anyone to improve in anything, whether it was our performance in Game 1 or anything else, the first thing you have to do is take a critical look at yourself and take responsibility. And if you want the players to do that, which I do, not make excuses, not point fingers, take responsibility and look for areas to improve, and I think you have to do the same thing yourself. I mean, I just don't see any way you can get any better if you're not willing to take responsibility. Q. A lot of the great players like Michael Jordan and Kobe, they always talk about their great work ethic and wanting to get better. Is that something Dwight is developing and do you see that in him as he matures? STAN VAN GUNDY: Yeah, I've seen it over the last few months. The most pronounced area has been him spending a lot of extra time at the free-throw line working on that. From the beginning of the Philadelphia series on, he's spent a lot of extra time shooting free throws because obviously people strategy-wise want to put him at the free-throw line. He's worked hard. I think he definitely has an understanding of how hard he needs to work on his game and what it's going to take to get to where he wants to go, which is an NBA championship, and I think he's been doing that more and more as the season has gone on, but particularly in the playoffs and particularly on the free throws. Q. The question of starting Jameer in Game 1 -- STAN VAN GUNDY: I didn't start Jameer Game 1. Q. Playing him, my mistake, in playing Jameer, that maybe there could have been an unanticipated problem in chemistry, but getting him through that and getting him integrated was the primary factor? In other words, if you waited a little longer maybe by Game 3 he wouldn't be where he needs to be? STAN VAN GUNDY: It didn't really enter into my thinking. I just thought that he would play pretty well and I thought playing him would give us the best chance to win in Game 1. It didn't work out that way, not because of Jameer obviously, but it didn't work out that way. But that's my only thinking. I wasn't thinking to Game 3 or to Game 4. Q. Did the extra day, was that a positive, or do you think you just wanted to get the team out there sooner or better to have the extra day to prepare? STAN VAN GUNDY: We don't have any say in the schedule, so again, I don't even think about is the extra day good or bad. I really don't spend much time thinking about things that I don't have any control over. Q. You talked about reflecting on Jameer's performance, Rafer's performance. Have you contemplated a three-guard rotation at that spot now? STAN VAN GUNDY: No. Q. So are the two then still Rafer and Jameer? STAN VAN GUNDY: Yes. Q. What's been your impression of watching Trevor Ariza develop into a fairly key player for the Lakers? STAN VAN GUNDY: Well, I think the main thing he has done -- it's sort of been interesting, I think, because I think over his career and even over this season with the Lakers, he was a guy who played very hard, ran the floor, a slasher. What he's basically been in this playoffs more than anything is a spot-up three-point shooter. So it's been a real different thing. He has some, but he hasn't gotten to the basket as much. He's basically been more of a spot-up guy playing off of Kobe's double teams and pick-and-rolls. So it's sort of been interesting. And I think when he combines that with his slashing ability, obviously he's pretty effective. End of FastScripts |
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